The Challenge of Challenge Creating

We just dropped a new challenge for the month of April and we are can-barely-contain-ourselves excited for this one. It was a labor of love to create. It was created and recreated three times over. It was added to and subtracted from and was borne of scribbles and scratch notes and morphed into something challengingly pretty.

Community challenges are a vibe for us. For a few reasons. We love reaching out to people to engage with them regarding their health and fitness goals and the what-are-you-doing-to-achieve-those-goals, Stephanie?? You can’t just tell people about them!

We love utilizing our creativity to combine things we love with things we don’t so much love and forcing a combination of those things into a semblance of how can we make this a little bit fun, a little bit work and something that will actually DO SOMETHING for someone’s life?

Which is the real kicker. We could put out 30-day challenges every single month of the year. Heck a simple Google search will produce many challenges you can join supporting a variety of organizations or causes. You could do any one or multiple of those. But we want more. Something more. Something you have to sink your teeth into and not just say you’re going to do it and fall off in the second week like some New-Year’s-Resolution-gone-May. It has to be workable. But it has to push you as well. Without those two components, it’s pretty paper. And worse, it will bring no value and certainly no change to your lifestyle.

Which is, the ultimate goal for a challenge. Finding a balance between hard-enough-to-challenge you but not so-stinking-difficult-I’m-not-doing-even-half-of-this. We want you to do this with us. So it has to be doable. But challenging.

So challengingly doable.

Doable-ly challenging.

Does that make sense?

No? Well, how about this? Give this some thought. Are you in the mood for something that pushes you a little bit? A little voice in your head nagging at you to do one thing better. Just one little thing better each day than you maybe did it the day before.

We want to be that little voice. But you have to sign up to do this with us - otherwise we’re just talking to ourselves here.

…Not as though that’s uncommon, but hey, we don’t need you harping at us about that. We already talk to ourselves about it enough.

Be Happy and Know It

For you. For what you’re trying to accomplish with your health and fitness goals. For the life you have created for yourself. But also, for your bestie, when she accomplishes one of her goals too.

Wait, what? That’s her thing. Why is that listed in my reasons to be happy??

Because she’s your bestie. Because you know her goals and you probably know every step she has taken to work toward them. She has likely shared and even overshared some pieces of her progress. And we’re talking about her health and fitness goals. Whatever they are, it wasn’t something she could just have her rich uncle buy for her. This is the kind of stuff that requires effort and sweat-equity and there’s not a lot of shortcuts offered in this space, so you know - she worked.

So be happy for her. For her progress. For the results. Because her progress in no way, shape or form negates your progress. Her accomplishments do not halt your progress. This isn’t a race where one is the winner and then the other is a clear loser. The only setback you can have in accomplishing your own goals is by the choices you make.

If your bestie set out to tackle a goal and she got it, you, as her bestie should be the first one standing, and the loudest clapper in her crowd. Buy her a trinket to commemorate her goal. Take her out for coffee or whatever it is the two of you drink when you’re together. Or at the very least send her a heartfelt text telling her that you are proud of her. Whatever you do - do something. And do it with all the happiness you have. Not all the happiness you can muster because you shouldn’t be digging deep to find happiness for your own best friend. It should be as automatic as cooing at a baby or talking baby talk to a puppy.

Happiness is fleeting and life can be hard. So when we have moments of happiness in our own lives, we should grab onto them and hold them for a moment. Likewise when your best bud has a moment of happiness, help her celebrate it. Make sure she knows it’s a-okay to feel that joy in front of you because you are happy for her too.

Let’s take the days of feeling petty jealousy for others’ accomplishments extinct like the dinosaurs. Let’s grab any and every reason to be happy that we can. Even if it means someone beat us to the finish. When that someone is someone you’re close to - be happy (genuinely happy) for them as well.

Meet My AI Trainer

In the days of AI becoming more popular, it is only a matter of time before some jobs become replaced by it entirely. And Personal Trainer sits squarely in the middle of this AI-job-seeking dartboard.

It’s true. We won’t deny it. Already, with AI still in it’s funky graphics, occasional misspelled word, and where-did-that-sentence-come-from primitive form - people can readily take to ChatGPT or whatever upgraded version of Ask Jeeves they are using and demand a workout program of varying types in the prompt box.

And the results are fairly decent. We know. We’ve checked. (We would be pretty stupid not to.) And not only are they fairly decent, they’re all but free also.

So why would anyone take the route of choosing an in-person personal trainer when after a few clicks of their keyboard they can be in their workout space, sweating up a storm, saying thank you to their new friend AI Personal Trainer Patty.

Go you. And go Patty too. Really, we mean that with all due sincerity.

As people who want, like really and truly want, everyone they encounter to fall in love with fitness or some aspect of it, we absolutely do not begrudge people for taking the AI route when choosing their workout program. Why would we? If it helps you fall in love with fitness, that is the ultimate goal. If we were angry about it, would we really be able to sit here and claim we want people to fall in love with fitness? No. What we would really be saying is we want people to like OUR brand of fitness. Which is not the case at all.

In this building we have two personal trainers on staff. We have 12 fitness instructors teaching various types and levels of classes. Even with the maximum amount of time devoted there’s no way we could reach every person in our community with some various form of fitness. There are only so many hours in a day and most of us prioritize sleep.

So, we certainly don’t want anyone to think the AI option is something you should only whisper about when any of us are around. Go ahead, introduce us to AI Personal Trainer Patty. We don’t mind. We want you to find your happy place with fitness. And if that’s with Patty, then we hope you and Patty have much success together. And if the day comes where you feel like you might like to try something different, maybe deviate from Patty’s carefully cultivated plan a bit, well then come on in and join a class. Or give one of our trainers a call. THAT is what we’re here for. When you want to try a little something different. Tell Patty you’ll get back to her plan tomorrow and come on in and join us. Fall in love with whatever version of fitness works for you.

I Can Do Hard Things

Some people live by this mantra. I can do hard things. Sure, they’re scary. Sure, I’m probably going to sweat profusely just thinking about tackling this thing. But within my known limitations, I most certainly will attempt it and complete it to the best of my ability.

While others live with more hesitation, that sounds hard, I would rather not attempt that. Picture Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect saying, “yeah, no, don’t sign me up for cardio.” If something SOUNDS hard, they back away slowly. Their brain repeatedly hits the RETREAT! RETREAT! button until they are of a safe distance.

Rushing headfast into things is not better than approaching it cautiously. Where the problem comes in is the line between cautious and can’t. And that can be a thin, miniscule, fine-tip-Sharpie drawn line that perhaps someone doesn’t even know they have crossed - until you look back.

Doing hard things might be tough. It might make you sweat just thinking about it. But trying them, giving them some effort and even if completion wasn’t what you hoped is still far, far better than regret. The regret of looking back and saying, “I should have tried that when I had the chance,” that will sit with you and sting a lot longer than the sweat burning in your eyes when the going got tough.

If you’re forcing us to make a blanket statement it would be You Can Do Hard Things. You can approach these things like a 7th grade running back wearing pads for the first time or you can come at it with the hesitation of a little cat who is not at all sure about coming out to play - either way, you can do them. You may not do them perfectly the first time (who among us does??) You may not do them as well as you hoped you would or you may do them so poorly you laugh at yourself the entire time (who among us hasn’t done this??) But that’s still part of the experience. That is looking back and being proud of yourself for trying and laughing as you retell the story later to your spouse or your mom. You did it. In some way, shape, or form - you didn’t back away from it. You get to go forward deciding if you want to try again or chalk it up to that was funny but not for me.

What you don’t get to do is sit in that tub of regret. And good on you for that. That’s a gross place to be.

Trainer Tracey's 26

She wrote one for you last year and she has done it again! Trainer Tracey’s 26 truths you may not want to hear, but need to. No trends, no shortcuts, no excuses.

You may want to cover any vulnerable areas here - if you are someone who is particularly sensitive to truth. The following list was written to a live audience. If you are a living, breathing human, then this is for you.

Without further ado: Trainer Tracey’s 26 as you head into ‘26.

1. The workout you’re avoiding is probably the one you need most.

2. No program works if you don’t actually do it.

3. Your body adapts to what you repeatedly demand of it.

4. You don’t need motiviation, you need discipline.

5. If your plan depends on when life slows down, it is not a plan. (It’s an excuse.)

6. Progress is slow, quitting is instant.

7. Results don’t come from comfort, growth lives in effort.

8. If it was easy, everyone would be fit.

9. Perfect form matters more than heavy weight.

10. The scale is a tool, not a judge.

11. Consistency beats intensity EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

12. You can’t out train a bad diet - just stop trying.

13. Form first. Ego last. The hospital sees plenty of ‘strong’ people.

14. No one is coming to fix your health. Pick up the weights.

15. Rest days are a part of training, not a sign of weakness.

16. More workouts won’t fix bad sleep or worse habits.

17. Athletes are built, not born. And the same goes for confidence.

18. Sweat doesn’t equal progress. Smart work does.

19. Your warmup is not optional, neither is your recovery.

20. If you’re always sore, you’re not hard-core - you’re under recovered.

21. Short and focused workouts beat long distracted ones every time.

22. Excuses burn zero calories.

23. Motivation is a feeling; discipline is a skill. Learn it.

24. Strength training will not make you bulky.

25. Don’t be someone who only appreciates their health when they can’t do something. Appreciate your capabilities.

26. This list won’t change you - only actions can do that.

** tap, tap ** Is anyone still there??

Hello?

If you made it through to the end, we have a question for you; which one was your favorite? Which one resonated with you the most? And - last question - its okay if the answer is no but, are you going to take any of them and apply them to yourself in the upcoming year?

Talk About Treats

Are there people out there who are afraid if they start coming to fitness classes that we (the instructors) are going to start razzing them about their eating habits?

We’re asking in our serious voice here. We really and truly want to know if that’s a legit thing. Because it kind of seems like it might be. We hear things. We cannot do the impossible and turn off our hearing when we are in public spaces. So we sometimes hear people conversing about this. Conversations that go a little something like:

Person A: I’m not going to bother going to a class where I’m going to be made to feel bad about eating Christmas cookies. I already feel bad enough about myself, I don’t need someone else to help me feel worse.

Person B: Oh totally. And you know (that instructor) would probably never eat a Christmas cookie so there’s no way she understands. She probably doesn’t even know how good Christmas cookies are!

Person A: Yeah, a real cookie-Scrooge - and I am not down with taking advice from people who can’t even eat an occasional cookie.

Person B: So I guess that settles it - we will just have to be okay with our cookie-bodies and we won’t take any classes so no one can make us feel bad about them.

Side note - referred to instructor DOES eat Christmas cookies. Said instructor very much wanted to open a package and stuff two in her mouth right there just to prove it. But said instructor just walked by and people in conversation didn’t even notice the steam plumes coming out of her ears.

Weird, right??

Here’s a nutty little tidbit for anyone who may have answered the initial question ‘yes.’ (Or for the two people in the overheard conversation.) Our Fit Team instructors are incredible. And incredibly real. We have hearing capabilities AND most of us eat cookies. We have never nor would ever shame someone for eating something that we ourselves partake in and we certainly wouldn’t do so in front of a class. Our instructors have day jobs and kids and pets. We take on instructing because WE LOVE TO HELP.

Full stop.

That’s the end. Right there. We don’t love to help shame people about their choices. We just love to help. Whether we’re helping you find a better head space after our class, find a new exercise you can do on your own, find a group where you fit in, or find a way to tackle your workout in 30 minutes - we just want to help.

That’s the reason every one of us teaches.

Will we talk to you about Christmas cookies? Sure. If you want to swap a recipe or tell us about a family favorite. We’d love to talk about it.

Change Gives and Change Takeaways

With the (cough, cough stupid, cough) New Year’s resolutions around the corner, it’s a good time to talk about change. For those that choose to make resolutions that are intentioned to kick in on January one, let’s talk about change. (And if you want a convo regarding the ‘cough, cough stuipd’ remark - that’s a whole ‘nother post.) For now, let’s address making a resolution because you want to see some change.

Change is give and take. But in the moment, it feels like only give. You give and you give and you give and it seems like seventy years go by before you get to take anything away from all your giving.

But….(oh there’s a but? What is with this Fit Team and their buts? What can we say? We like to point out buts and we cannot lie) is it possible, that when you think you are doing all the giving and taking no things it’s because you’re waiting to take something bigger? Maybe you are taking things, but little things. Small, almost imperceptible things. Things maybe no one else notices and if you don’t think about them, you might not notice them either. But when you stop and think about it, there are little changes??

On the fitness spectrum, it seems like the results of change are a three-legged turtle. Slow and hobbling. Notice we phrased that “it SEEMS like….” because as people who look at you from the other side of things, we see your changes often quicker than you do. Then again, we aren’t waiting for some big change. Some wild grand reveal like a home renovation show finale. No, we’re looking for the little signs and tells that say change is happening. On the inside first (because that’s where change starts.)

We watch as you start, often with trepidation and hesitation and slowly become more comfortable. We may even catch you smiling during a class as that trepidation starts to lose traction and confidence pulls into the parking lot. We watch as you move from anything-comes-before-fitness-class (haircut, root canal, sneezed two times in a row, dog sneezed two times in a row, literally anything) to the point where you’re sharing with the group what you have waiting for you to do after class. But after. Class came first. We see that. We notice as you start to mingle with other people in class. You start arriving at a certain time. You carve out a “spot” for yourself where you feel most comfortable.

And this whole time, you’re going home each day looking in the mirror “waiting” for change. But babe, it’s happening.

We don’t spend our whole days with you because - restraining order - but we’re willing to bet somewhere along the way your energy level has come up a bit. Your stats on your fitness tracker look a little different than when you first walked in. Your eyes have a little more sparkle. And you’re still waiting for the mirror reflection to change but if we could only get you to see yourself the way we do you would see it. You would see you are giving but you are gaining takeaways too.

This is why we use the phrase, “I’m so proud of you” so often. Do you hear us say that? We’re not just picking boosting phrases out of the sky. We don’t say things that we think we’re supposed to in the name of filling silence. We play music in our classes. The silence is filled with the sounds of Bon Jovi or the Jonas Brothers. We don’t need to puff out nonsense over our carefully cultivated playlists. If we’re choosing to use words, they’re intentional. And if say we’re proud of you - you can bet your behind that we 100% mean it.

You Big Meanie

Asking for a friend, how does one go about approaching someone they know and asking them to come to class? Is this a taboo subject among friends/coworkers/neighbors and relatives? Should we treat it like politics and just leave all talk of fitness classes and voting preferences under the table?

We’re being serious here!

As instructors - we can tell you this is pert near impossible to do without sounding abrasive or rude or like we are just trying to get more people. But here’s the actuality, if all we were concerned about was numbers in our classes or names in the attendance sheets, we would stand in the lobby a solid 10 to 15 minutes before class and heckle any patron who walked through the door, pleading with them to give our class a try. And even if they only came once, it would be one more X on the attendance sheet so YAHOO!

When reality is, if you approach someone to do anything with you; go for a walk, go out for cocktails, come to dinner, join game night - literally anything, you are likely doing so because you’ve found some spark of commonality. Maybe it seems you laugh at the same things, you have common interests, your kids are the same age so you bond over the challenges of raising sassy 10-year olds - whatever it is - there’s usually something there to provoke the invitation.

So if knowing we don’t stand in the lobby and invite randos to our classes just to have more people in our classes, does it help soften it if we invite you? Can you look at it as someone who we think might have fun in our class setting rather than some outspoken meaner-head who is trying to tell you to lose weight in some roundabout way?? Because we’re not. We promise.

There’s not one of us - from Bootcamp to Rise and Splash who thinks that if we can get you to come to class that will be a magic button for your life and you’ll instantly be on the path to better health. We’re real. We’re us. We’re humans. We know that coming to class DOES THINGS (like serious things) for our own minds and mental clarity and pent-up aggression, and also, gives us a built-in workout for that one day. But we’re not disillusioned nor are we so full of ourselves that we think our classes are IT. Like you just need our class and that’s all you need.

Nooooooo - if we thought that was the case we wouldn’t attend one another’s classes, would we? We wouldn’t need to. We would too full of our own dopamine droplets to think that another class led by another instructor would give us what we need. But that also, is false. We do attend one another’s classes. We do realize that other instructors have things to teach us that we can gain from - things that have nothing to do with instructing and more to do with learning a different way of working out.

We try to play it very safe when it comes to inviting people to class. We hesitate and approach people the way one might approach an unfamiliar animal. Slowly, cautiously, talking softly like we JUST WANT YOU TO LIKE US AND NOT THINK WE’RE A BIG MEANIE. Most of us are pretty darn fun and likeable!

Basically, if you’ve made it to this point and you ever find yourself in this scenario where someone you know is an instructor asks you if you would ever want to come to ________ class - maybe don’t call her a mean name in your head and find an excuse. Maybe give it just a second or two of thought as to why she asked you. Likely, it has nothing to do with your pant size, your weight or any other number she actually doesn’t know and more about something the two of you might have in common.

And who knows, maybe she thinks it might be fun?? You could always give it a try and see…